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Chemical binding of pyridine on TiO2 nanocrystalline film and its photoelectrochemical properties

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Abstract

Aiming to bind molecules without O-containing groups such as the–OH or–COOH functional groups, a new two-step method involving thermal activation and followed by an in situ chemical reaction was suggested, and the binding of the pyridine molecule on TiO2 nanocrystalline films was realized. UV-Vis, FTIR, and XPS characterizations revealed that pyridine molecules are chemically linked to the TiO2 surface by forming Ti-pyridine bonds. Mott-Schottky measurements indicated that the binding of pyridine results in a positive shift of the flat band potential for TiO2 nanocrystalline film, which is attributed to the alternating surface dipole moment of TiO2 nanocrystals upon pyridine binding. Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical investigations indicated that the binding of pyridine on TiO2 nanocrystalline film has high electrochemical and photoelectrochemical stability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Science, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Kangsheng Huang & Jianguang Jia

  2. Center for Molecular Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Beijing, 100190, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaowen Zhou, Yuan Lin & Xurui Xiao

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  1. Kangsheng Huang
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  2. Jianguang Jia
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  3. Xiaowen Zhou
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  4. Yuan Lin
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  5. Xurui Xiao
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Correspondence to Jianguang Jia.

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Huang, K., Jia, J., Zhou, X. et al. Chemical binding of pyridine on TiO2 nanocrystalline film and its photoelectrochemical properties. Journal of Materials Research 25, 32–38 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2010.0003

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